Walmart will promote David Cheesewright to the position of president and chief executive officer of Walmart International, succeeding Doug McMillon, who takes the reins as president and CEO of Walmart on February 1.

Walmart names Cheesewright CEO of International

December 10th, 2013

David Cheesewright

BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Walmart will promote David Cheesewright to the position of president and chief executive officer of Walmart International, succeeding Doug McMillon, who takes the reins as president and CEO of Walmart on February 1.

Cheesewright, who is currently president and CEO of Walmart’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Canada regions, will report directly to McMillon.

"David will lead the division at an exciting time," McMillon said in a statement. "We have strengthened our business and gained market share in the majority of our international markets, and he had a key role in that success. He brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of innovation and governance. With his deep knowledge of the company, our customers, and our purpose, he is the ideal person to steer our next chapter of continued, long-term growth."

Cheesewright’s Walmart career began with the company’s acquisition of Asda PLC, one of the United Kingdom’s leading supermarket operators, in 1999. At Asda he held leadership roles in operations, merchandising, logistics, strategy and format development before being named chief operating officer.

Following that role, Cheesewright was named chief operating officer of Walmart Canada and subsequently was promoted to CEO of that operation. During his tenure as head of Walmart Canada, the company successfully introduced its Supercenter format in the country.

In 2011 Cheesewright was promoted to his current position leading Walmart’s EMEA and Canada regions, and he led the integration of African retailer Massmart after its acquisition. He also oversaw the acquisition of the Netto hard discount grocery chain in the United Kingdom and participated in the expansion and development of Asda’s online grocery delivery business.

Before joining Asda, Cheesewright held leadership roles with Mars Inc. in the United Kingdom.